Scout Camp The Movie

Returning to Camp Rakhouta for what may be his last camp, York Hayes (Shawn Carter, High School Musical 1, 2, 3) is determined to leave a legacy for his troop to follow. However, when the legendary "Spirit Stick" goes missing, the entire camp legacy is threatened. Now York must do whatever it takes to find the Spirit Stick, return it to it's post, and restore the tradition of Camp Rakhouta. Filled with all the great memories of a week long summer camp, you'll finally understand why Scout Camp is the highlight of a scout's summer. This hilarious family comedy also stars Kirby Heyborne (The R.M., Saints and Soldiers) as the exemplary Scout Master.

I watched the movie twice in order to write this review. At first glance it came off as a decent movie but not great. However the second time I watched I liked it a lot. The movie is well written and is definitely not one of those special effect movies with no story line. The story really could have happened at any Scout Camps I have ever been to, with just a scenery change. The movie brought back some pleasant and not so pleasant memories of my times as a Scout and all the years I have worked summer camp staff.

The characterization and personality of the Scouts, rang true. The way the events unfold and how important they seem to the kids at the time, also ring true. The youth and adults they casted did an amazing job at pulling off their roles. Each individual seems to have added a little something of themselves and what it means to be a Scout to their roles. Great job guys!!!

The best praise I can give this move is when watching it I had to keep reminding myself this was not a real summer camp (even though it was filmed at a real Scout Camp), and a film crew was not following around some Scouts...

The first time I watched the film I did have some problems with the lack of two deep leadership as well as the units being relatively small – for some reason these things just stood out and made it less real to me. The second time I watched it this was not an issue and I noticed the units were of different sizes and had different group personalities, which did make the movie a lot more realistic. Although I would have liked to see the neckerchiefs customized more then a solid color with some funky cutting.

There are many things in this movie that will make those of us who were Scouts fall back in time. Things like stick fighting, playing with fire, girls, coming up with those blasted daily yells, flag ceremonies, worrying about how others perceive them, avoiding the outhouse, and even how little problems seem huge. Then there is what they learned about themselves and how they grew in just a single week.

Scout Camp The Movie is a great family movie, and I recommend it for every Scout, Leader and Parent of Scouts (especially those parents that have no idea what summer camp is like). You can also arrange for group screenings for your unit, district, council, etc or just get a dvd for yourself. You can find more information on their website at http://scoutcampthemovie.com/

I would like to hear your comments about this movie, please post them below!